City: Bridgeport, CT

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (203) 345-4800

Address: 500 Main St.

Description: Founded in 1998, the Bridgeport Bluefish baseball team is one of the few professional sports teams left in Connecticut, whose sports fans usually gravitate toward the larger New York or Boston franchises. However, local pride comes out every spring when these Atlantic League players suit up (they have won the most games in the history of the league). One of the early major-league heroes, James O’Rourke, came from Bridgeport; he also signed the first African American to play professional baseball in 1895. A statue of this legend stands outside the gates of the Ballpark at Harbor Yard baseball stadium, with its backdrop of the giant power plant and train tracks. It has been called one of the best urban fields in America, and watching a game here is a fascinating experience. Many stadiums endeavor to block out the outside world, but not this one. Look for the local parrot flock (seriously) to fly over the games at sunset, making their distinctive calls. One might even call out “home run.”